LOGINAdrian’s POV Sleep had become a stranger. For three nights, I had barely managed more than a few restless minutes before another memory dragged me awake. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same white envelope lying on my desk. Ava Sinclair. Resignation. The words were burned into my mind. The office felt unbearably empty without her and when I was home her laughter no longer echoed through the rooms. Her coffee mug no longer sat forgotten on the kitchen island. Even the silence seemed different, heavier somehow, pressing against my chest until breathing itself became exhausting. Food had lost all meaning. Mrs. Carter, my housekeeper, continued preparing breakfast every morning, but it always remained untouched. Coffee grew cold beside stacks of paperwork that I never truly read. Meetings came and went, yet I couldn’t remember a single conversation. Everything led back to Ava. To the letter. To the sentence that haunted me more than any other. “Please don’t
Ava’s POV The first thing I noticed every morning was the sound of the ocean. It wasn’t the relentless noise of New York traffic or the distant wail of sirens that had become part of my daily life. It was the steady rhythm of waves meeting the shore, gentle enough to soothe my restless thoughts yet powerful enough to remind me that life kept moving no matter how badly your heart had been broken. I stood on the small wooden porch of the cottage I had rented, wrapping both hands around a mug of warm tea. The salty breeze lifted strands of my hair as I looked across the endless stretch of water glowing beneath the early morning sun. It was peaceful here, painfully peaceful. No board meetings, no whispered office gossip. No Ethan or Victoria. No Adrian and despite everything I still missed him, my hand drifted unconsciously to my stomach. A tiny smile touched my lips. “It’ll be okay,” I whispered softly. The words were meant as much for myself as they were for the little life growi
Adrian’s POV I arrived at Aurelius earlier than usual, expecting to find Ava already at her desk, she hasn’t been picking my calls so I know she must have been occupied with work. After everything that had happened yesterday, I wanted to see her. I wanted to make sure she was feeling better after collapsing and finally convince her to take a few days off. She had looked exhausted, and despite her insisting she was fine, I knew better. As I stepped onto the executive floor, my eyes instinctively searched for her. Her desk was empty in a strange way, maybe she had cleared it for the weekend. Before I could walk toward my office, Noah appeared from the corridor with an unusually serious expression. “Morning,” I said. “Have you seen Ava?” Instead of answering, he held out a large brown envelope. “This was left on your desk before I arrived.” A flicker of unease ran through me as I took it. The front bore only my name, written in Ava’s neat handwriting. Without another
Ava’s POV I sat across from George, my fingers locked so tightly together beneath the table that my knuckles had turned ghostly white. The café buzzed softly around us, alive with the comforting sounds of ordinary life—the hiss of steaming milk, the clinking of porcelain cups against saucers, the quiet murmur of strangers sharing conversations that suddenly felt worlds away from mine. The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifted through the air, but it did nothing to calm the storm raging inside me. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs, each beat louder than the last, as though it were trying to warn me not to ask the question sitting heavily on my tongue. There was only one thing I needed to know. I lifted my gaze and looked directly into George’s eyes, refusing to let him escape this time. He needed to see how desperately I needed the truth. “I want to know the truth about you and Adrian,” I said, my voice quieter than I intended, yet firm enough to carry the weight
Ava’s POV A dull ache pulsed behind my eyes as I slowly opened them. The unfamiliar white ceiling came into focus first, followed by the faint scent of antiseptic that lingered in the quiet hospital room. My memories returned in fragments—the board meeting, Ethan’s public disgrace, the overwhelming rush of emotions while talking to Adrian, and then… nothing. The door opened softly, and a doctor walked in with a warm smile and a clipboard in his hand. He glanced at the monitor beside my bed before looking back at me. “Good morning, Miss Sinclair. How are you feeling?” “My head hurts a little,” I admitted, pushing myself into a sitting position. “What happened?” “You fainted from a combination of stress, exhaustion, and dehydration.” He paused, his smile widening. “But that’s not the only reason. Congratulations… you’re a few weeks pregnant.” For a moment, I simply stared at him. Pregnant. My hand instinctively drifted to my stomach as tears gathered in my eyes. A tiny life was
Adrian’s POV It’s been long since I spelt so well and I would give anything to crawl back into her warmth. I swiped my card to unlock my office and walked straight to the windows. My gaze drifted to the thick folder waiting on my desk, the one stamped with the legal seal I had grown to despise. The divorce settlement lay there and I could not help but wonder when it would all end. My fingers rested against the cool glass as another memory quietly pushed its way into my mind. The restaurant. George. Ava. The knot in my chest eased slightly as I remembered what happened after George walked away. I had expected her to be furious. Instead, she had looked at me with equal parts surprise and disappointment. “You embarrassed both of us,” she had said softly once we were alone. That somehow made it worse. I had admitted the truth I couldn’t hide—that seeing George had dragged old memories back to the surface. Memories tied to past betrayal and mistakes I thought I had buried lo
Ava’s POVThe door closes behind me, soft and almost weightless against the storm building inside my chest. I keep walking, one step after another, my heels striking the floor in a steady rhythm that doesn’t match the chaos in my pulse. I don’t stop in the hallway, not when the receptionist glances
Ava’s POVIt’s been one week working for him. One week pretending I don’t remember the night we shared. One week of acting like nothing happened when everything changed. And the truth is, pretending is getting harder.Adrian Blackwood doesn’t miss a thing. Not the way my focus slips, not the way I
Adrian’s POVI see her the second she looks up, I recognize her instantly. The woman from the club. Same eyes. Same composure. But this time, there’s no alcohol to soften the edges. No dim lights to blur the details.I don’t break stride as I walk into the room. I can feel the shift around me—conve
Ava's PovMia didn’t say anything at first. She just stared at me from across the kitchen, her fingers wrapped tightly around a mug of coffee that had long gone cold, like she’d forgotten it existed. Her eyes were locked on me—searching, calculating, waiting for me to say something that would make







